This invention relates to fish attractants. In one aspect, the invention relates to a fish attractant block while in another aspect, the invention relates to a block constructed for suspension by a rope in an aquatic environment. In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of making the block.
Using bait to attract fish to a specific area within a given body of water is long known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 973,549, 2,452,553 and 2,631,937 are representative examples of this knowledge. The object of these baits is, of course, to attract sport or game fish to an area of a lake or stream in a manner that the fish will become used to feeding in this area, and thus increase their general availability to sport anglers. The bait can attract either game fish, e.g. bass, catfish, sunfish, trout, etc., and/or small feeder fish, e.g. minnows, chums, etc., which in turn attract the larger game fish.
Fish baits or attractants to date have come in varied sizes, shapes and forms. Older forms of fish attractants include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 96,288 which teaches the preparation of a "cake" of a certain mixture of various kinds of grains which is used in bow or fyke-nets; U.S. Pat. No. 135,113 which teaches a liquid attractant that is applied to ordinary bait or a fish net; U.S. Pat. No. 871,486 which teaches a tough, elastic composition adapted for convenient handling and easy placement upon a hook which, when placed in water, softens to the consistency of a piece of fish; U.S. Pat. No. 973,549 which teaches bait particles which can be attached to an ordinary fish hook or placed within fish traps; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,553 which teaches a solid bait designed to slowly dissolve in water, and thus gradually release a fish attractant.
More modern forms of fish attractants include fish bait in the form of salmon eggs (U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,803), a dried ear of corn (U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,014), and artificial lures (U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,376). One particularly preferred form of fish attractant is an aquatic bait block comprising a combination of ingredients which impart to the block resistance to rapid water degradation. Such a block is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,592 which is incorporated herein by reference. However, these blocks are relatively small in size (three to sixteen ounces) with a water degradeability time of between 18-96 hours. These blocks are typically deployed in fish traps. One variant on aquatic bait blocks are those prepared from dry, compressed material packaged in a plastic "onion sack" type of mesh bag. These blocks also demonstrate relatively rapid dissolution time.
While all of these fish attractants are effective to one degree or another, none are completely satisfactory. For example, most of these fish attractants have a relatively short useful life, e.g. under one week, and most are not designed for deployment at depths intermediate between the surface and bottom of the aquatic body. Still further, those that comprise packaging or deployment devices are typically made from nonbiogradeable material which eventually require removal to avoid environmental and esthetic pollution. Still further, many do not lend themselves to easy packaging and storing and have relatively short (e.g. less than one month) shelf lives.